While California lawmakers have limited authority over the federal government, they may consider adding a bill targeting electric-shock gloves to their growing slate of legislation as ICE moves to purchase an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 pairs.

The potential legislation regulating electric-shock gloves comes as California lawmakers are already considering roughly two dozen bills addressing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the state, including proposals involving state tax incentives for companies that contract with the Department of Homeland Security and whether ICE officers could become California peace officers, as CBS Sacramento reports.

Following news by the Associated Press last week that ICE is moving to purchase electric-shock gloves for use while detaining immigrants, Assemblymember Alex Lee, D-Milpitas, said that lawmakers could still introduce a bill targeting them before the legislative session ends August 31, adding that he would not be surprised.

"It's another toy for them to use to brutalize and hurt more innocent Americans," Lee said, speaking to CBS.

The device, known as the CTG-5 G.L.O.V.E. — for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter — was developed by Compliant Technologies of Richmond, Kentucky. The gloves reportedly function like standard patrol gloves until an officer activates the electrical mode with a switch, delivering 380 volts through direct contact with a person's skin. By comparison, a traditional Taser delivers roughly 1,200 volts. 

The Los Angeles Times points to videos shared by the company show volunteers being shocked during demonstrations at defensive weapons exhibitions around the country. In one demonstration, a man wearing military fatigues reportedly drops to his knees almost immediately after being shocked. In another, a man's leg muscles spasm after the glove is applied to his forearm. 


The demonstrations often end with volunteers collapsing onto mats, with one reportedly saying, "That sucked! That was terrible."

The company says the gloves are primarily intended for specific jail and transportation situations, including subduing violent suspects who refuse to enter squad cars and inmates who are harming themselves or threatening officers. John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, told the AP he believes the gloves could be particularly useful for ICE officers removing people from vehicles, homes, or detention facilities, and estimated the planned purchase could be the company's largest to date.

The Department of Homeland Security published a notice last week outlining a planned purchase of between $10 million and $20 million worth of the devices, amounting to roughly 10,000 to 15,000 pairs of gloves.

Per the AP, the manufacturer cautions that the devices should not be used as punishment, against people who are merely verbally defiant or belligerent, or on children, pregnant women, elderly people, disabled people, or those with certain heart conditions. 

Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the ACLU, questioned why electric-shock devices would be necessary for civil immigration enforcement and warned that people could be shocked without advance warning.

"Introducing gloves that can so easily be used to deliver terrible pain in encounters is a recipe for harm to the public," she said, speaking to the AP.

John Sandweg, a former acting ICE director under the Obama administration, also questioned the timing of the proposed purchase, citing what he described as problems with ICE's training and oversight under the second Trump administration, as the LA Times reports. Homeland Security has disputed claims that training has declined and said the devices would be subject to existing law enforcement policies and standards.

“Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to make sure that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards,” the department said in a statement.

ICE's planned acquisition has not yet resulted in a California purchase or deployment of the gloves. Compliant Technologies lists several law enforcement agencies among its customers, but none of those agencies are in California.

Assemblymember Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin, told CBS Sacramento he also would not be surprised to see legislation addressing the technology, while acknowledging the limits of state authority over federal immigration enforcement.

“Because there's nothing we can do about it, we can't regulate ICE, we can't regulate the federal government,” Patterson said. “I mean, that's very clear in the United States Constitution.”

Lee said lawmakers should nevertheless consider whether California can take steps to prevent the technology from being used in ways that could cause serious injury.

“We don't want people to be brutally maimed by an electric glove,” Lee said.

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